WITH National U leaning heavily on its two senior big men Kenshin Padrones and PJ Palacielo this UAAP Season 89, a familiar PBA comparison has started making the rounds.
Padrones and Palacielo have been likened to Rain or Shine’s onetime bruising frontcourt of Beau Belga and JR Quiñahan.
And for Bulldogs head coach Jeff Napa, the comparison isn’t entirely out of left field.
Of course, the sixth-year shot-caller had a firsthand look at both Belga and Quinahan as an assitant coach in the pros, and he sees certain qualities of the Elasto Painters' vaunted 'Extra Rice. Inc.' in his own frontcourt.
He even went further, as when asked by SPIN.ph which is which, he gamely answered: “Si Kenshin, si Beau. Si PJ, si JR.”
Napa’s explanation goes beyond obvious similarities in size.
For him, Padrones carries qualities that made Belga such a difficult matchup: the physicality, willingness to work, and, perhaps most importantly, leadership.
“Si Beau, hard worker. Kumbaga, complimentary player eh. Talagang masasaktan ka sa kanila sa loob. And kahit papaano, iba yung leadership na binibigay niya,” he said.
Palacielo, meanwhile, is more akin to Quiñahan because of his ability and willingness to operate outside the paint.
“Si JR kasi, more on mahilig sa labas eh,” NU's fiery mentor explained.
The comparison, though, comes with an important disclaimer from Napa.
He knows exactly what the RoS duo accomplished in the PBA, and he's far from putting Padrones and Palacielo on the same level just yet.
As he put it, “Hindi mo pa pwedeng kumparahin, Beau Belga na yun. Kumbaga, marami nang na-achieve yun. Itong dalawang bata, nagsisimula pa lang sila.”
Instead of shying away from the comparison, the mentor wants his two seniors to use it as learning opportunity.
“Mas maganda kung i-look up nila sila Beau. Kasi maganda yung attitude nun tsaka born winner yun,” he said.
NU 'Extra Rice Inc.'
The Bulldogs bigs, for their part, watched Belga and Quiñahan in their prime, and understand why fans witness likeness.
“Masaya lang kami kasi parang kinukumpara din kami sa mga PBA legends na din ngayon,” said Palacielo, who was one point shy of double-double in their first win of the season.
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Padrones, who tallied 11 points and seven rebounds, likewise takes pride in being compared to Belga.
“Isang karangalan na nakikita ng mga tao na gano’n kasi tulad ng sabi ko, idol yung si kuya Beau,” he said. “Yung napatunayan niya, siyempre ako, gusto ko rin makamit.”
There is pressure attached to following the footsteps of PBA legends, but the National U seniors have chosen to embrace it.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Padrones added.
For Palacielo and Padrones, the lessons they can take from Belga and Quiñahan have little to do with simply copying their games. Instead, it’s more about the maturity they showed on the floor.
“Yung maturity sa loob ng court. Kung paano namin na-handle yung pressure sa sarili namin, sa kalaban. Kung paano mag-decision na mas maayos sa loob ng court,” Palacielo said.
The Belga-Quiñahan comparison, then, has become more than just a social media talking point within Jhocson.
For Padrones, it's an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as someone he idolizes.
For Palacielo, it's a blueprint for developing the maturity needed to become a more complete big man.
But Napa isn’t asking them to become those two veterans.
He’s asking them to understand why those players became who they were and bring those lessons into their own careers.
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